Distillery:Distilled by Ross & Squibb Distillery (MGP) – Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Proof: 98.0 (46.0% ABV)
Age: Undisclosed
Mashbill: 74% Corn, 16% Wheat, 7% Rye, 3% Malted Barley
MSRP: $80
A tropical, dessert-driven finished bourbon.
Penelope Rio 2026 is not trying to be a traditional bourbon, and the sooner we understand that, the more fairly it can be judged. This is not a pour built around deep oak, leather, tobacco, or a classic caramel-and-vanilla bourbon profile. No, none of that or the other typical bourbon descriptors that we might use.
Rio is a targeted finished whiskey built around sweetness, tropical character, and spice, with honey barrels and Amburana barrels doing most of the heavy lifting.
That does not make it a less serious whiskey. It simply changes the question. The question is not whether Rio tastes like a conventional MGP bourbon. It does not, and it is not meant to. The better question is whether Penelope can take a sweet four-grain bourbon base, finish it in honey and Amburana barrels, and create something that feels complete not gimmicky.
The name Rio, the seafoam-blue label, and the finishing choice all point toward a warm-weather, dessert-leaning, tropical expression. At 98 proof, this whiskey feels like it’s designed to carry significant flavor without becoming overwhelming. It has enough proof to support sweetness and spice, but not so much that it moves out of bounds for someone new to bourbon or whiskey. That proof point also makes sense for a bottle that could work neat, over a large cube, or in a cocktail that you’d build around tropical flavors.
In the glass, Rio delivers. It is sweet, tropical, spiced, and unmistakably finish-driven, but it does not feel random or incomplete. The honey brings sweetness and rounds out any edges that might have been present in the base whiskey. The Amburana brings warm spice and “personality”. The bourbon underneath is not the star, but it has just enough presence to keep a whiskey feel to the bottle.
Penelope Copper Series: Rio Straight Bourbon Finished in Honey and Amburana Barrels Double Cask Finish (Batch 26-901) Review: Tasting Notes
Nose – 4.7/5
Honeyed sweetness. Tropical coconut suntan lotion. Amburana spice. Soft oak.
Strengths: Full, expressive, and immediately interesting. Leans hard into the stated identity with honey, tropical sweetness, coconut suntan lotion, spice, corn underneath, and soft oak. Invites repeated nosing. Feels distinctive and purposeful rather than merely unusual.
Why It’s Not Higher: Highly successful within its stated lane. It is not a traditional bourbon Nose and does not offer much in the way of deeper age-driven oak, leather, or complexity from barrel maturation.
Rating Justification: Strongly delivers the whiskey’s apparent intent. Sweet. Tropical. Spiced. Full. Memorable. Just enough bourbon foundation underneath to keep the finishing from feeling completely detached or separated.
Palate – 4.6/5
Honey. Tropical fruit. Warm gingerbread cookies. Full mouthfeel. Sweet-to-spice transition.
Strengths: Follows through from the Nose with a sweet entry, clear honey, tropical fruit, and warm gingerbread cookie. Spice builds in equal measures as the sweetness fades. Mouthfeel is full. Texture holds across the palate.
Why It’s Not Higher: Holds steady more than it builds into additional layers. Well balanced and very enjoyable, but it does not continue to evolve into additional complexity.
Rating Justification: Confidently delivers on the whiskey’s identity. Proof feels exactly right, enhancing the flavors without overwhelming them. Transition from sweet to spice feels smooth.
Finish – 4.2/5
Tropical fruit. Gingerbread spice. Lingering sweetness. Amburana spice warmth. Clean fade.
Strengths: Stays connected to the rest of the pour. Holds on the mid-Palate and sides with sweetness, tropical fruit, gingerbread, and Amburana spice. Does not turn dry, bitter, woody, or distracting. That matters for a whiskey this sweet and Finish-driven.
Why It’s Not Higher: Medium in length. Fades; no significant evolution of notes. Reinforces the whiskey’s identity, but nothing new is added.
Rating Justification: Clean, pleasant, and well-connected. Not be especially complex, but leaves a good final impression and makes you want another sip.
Value – 4.1/5
At an MSRP of $80, Penelope Rio 2026 is not everyday bourbon value. This is not the bottle I would reach for as a daily pour, and it is not trying to be. The Value makes more sense when Rio is understood as a special-occasion, warm-weather, finished bourbon with a very specific personality to it.
If I wanted a summer-styled bourbon to take to a pool, lake dock, beach house, or warm-weather gathering, I would be willing to pay $80 for this bottle. It brings something distinctive to that setting. The honey sweetness, tropical fruit, coconut-like character, gingerbread spice, and approachable 98 proof all fit the occasion.
Rio poured neat shows off its full personality. With a large cube, the proof holds up well enough to keep the sweetness and spice intact. It likely works best when a cocktail is already leaning tropical. I tried to invent a concoction that would resemble a tropical Old Fashioned using banana liqueur and chocolate bitters. I couldn’t quite find the right formula but I’m not yet giving up because I have a feeling there’s a unique cocktail somewhere in there.
The Value is strong for the right buyer and the right occasion. It is weak if judged as a traditional bourbon or daily sipper.
Penelope Copper Series: Rio Straight Bourbon Finished in Honey and Amburana Barrels Double Cask Finish (Batch 26-901) Review: The Verdict
Penelope Rio 2026 succeeds because it states up front exactly what it wants to be. This is a sweet, tropical, dessert-driven finished bourbon with enough spice and proof to keep the experience from becoming flat or syrupy. It is not a traditional pour, and it should not be judged as though it is trying to be one.
Its limitations are real but not damaging. Within its intended lane, Rio feels complete from Nose to Finish. Nothing feels missing. Nothing feels out of place. The sweetness and spice balance each other well, and the 98 proof feels carefully chosen.
Penelope Rio 2026 is for enthusiasts who want a unique secondary finished whiskey, not a traditional bourbon profile. For newer drinkers, it offers sweetness and a proof point that is approachable. For anyone looking for a summer bourbon with tropical dessert character and enough structure to hold together, Rio delivers with a big loud festive — Cheers!
Here’s one to give a try for a sit on the porch cocktail…..
Verdict – 4.4/5
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.5 – 5
- Gold – 4 – 4.5
- Silver – 3 – 4
- Bronze – <3
Mike Long is a staff writer at Bourbon Inspector and has an Executive Bourbon Steward designation from the Stave and Thief Society. He’s a former “wine guy” who discovered his love for bourbon years back at a spur-of-the-moment bourbon tasting he attended. He also loves traveling throughout America with his wife of over 37 years, Debby.
